1903-04 Volume 28 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THE SCROLL. 261York there was one man to whom the Convention turned witha just confidence for the editorship, and that man was RoyallHill Switzler. It was felt that he would not only pursue adiscreet and dignified policy as editor, but also would affordan interesting and thoroughly modem fraternity magazine.It is very easy to assert that in no sense was that expectationdisappointed. Brother Switzler has toiled indefatigably withmuch self-sacrifice and with greatest success, so that he abandonshis editorial desk with the regret of every Phi and ourunbroken approval of his editorial career.Brother Switzler came of a family of journalists and from acollege .community. He was bom August 5, 1876, inColumbia, Missouri, and was reared in the atmosphere of theUniversity of Missouri. He is the second of three sons ofIrvin and Ellen Runyan Switzler. Both his father and hisgrandfather, Col. W. F. Switzler, were newspaper men; thelatter being also a historian. His preliminary schooling wasobtained at the public schools of Columbia, and he enteredthe University of Missouri with the class of 1897. Duringthe college year, 1894-95, he was absent from college, havingjoined his grandfather in newspaper work at Boonville,Missouri. Returning the following year, he resumed hishigh place in scholarship. He was awarded the junior academicscholarship in June, 1897, and was a teaching fellow inmathematics during his last two years at the university.Among the various student activities his interest and participationcentred in athletics, the college papers, and cadetcorps. Upon the breaking out of the war with Spain in thespring of 1898, in company with a large number of fellowstudentsBrother Switzler responded to the call for troops.He enlisted in the Fifth Missouri Volunteers, a volunteerregiment raised under the call and commanded by ColonelMilton Moore of Kansas City, and on May i8thwas musteredinto service as regimental sergeant-major. Later in the summerin the field he was promoted to be second lieutenant andassigned to a company in the same regiment. The FifthMissouri was one of the many brave regiments which sawservice only in hot southern camps, watching and waiting fororders to move to the front, orders which never came. Theregiment was mustered in at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri,and after a short time prbceeded to Chickamauga Park, whereit remained until all need of its services at the front werepast. In September it was moved up into Kentucky^for abrief stay, and was finally mustered out of service at Kansas